Design of Individual On-Site Storage Pond for Supplementary Irrigation During Dry Period in Malaysia

Paddy and water are strongly connected to each other. In recent years, climate change has increased drought frequency, resulting in water scarcity in paddy sector in Malaysia. Therefore, in this study, a methodology was developed to design an individual on-site storage pond for supplementary irrigation purpose. The storage pond collects return flow from the paddy field for reuse purpose during dry season. First, the inflow discharge into the paddy field was estimated from field data. Field data was collected in both the main and off seasons. A simplified water balance model was then developed to estimate the amount of return flow from the paddy field, by utilizing the inflow discharge estimated from the field data. The return flow was used to design the individual on-site storage pond and both the inlet and outlet flow control structures. Results from this study showed that a simple methodology can be applied to design an individual on-site storage pond for water reuse purpose. This simple methodology can serve as a design guideline.